Dong Changyang happily finished gnawing on the chicken leg. She covered the remaining roast chicken before returning to her room to light a mosquito coil.

Her connection with Chen Huanzhi could be either one-sided or mutual.

When both of them lit their incense, they could share each other’s views and have smooth conversations. However, if only one person lit the incense, it would be like watching a TV show: they could see what the other person saw and hear what the other person heard, but their own words wouldn’t get through.

Although this connection method was convenient, it couldn’t be used carelessly. Otherwise, seeing another world’s scenery in the middle of a class would make it impossible to understand what the teacher wrote on the blackboard, which was particularly disruptive.

Therefore, they both consciously reserved their contact for nighttime.

This was also why Dong Changyang believed her “mahjong girl” activities wouldn’t be discovered.

Brother Chen was a gentleman and wouldn’t randomly pry into her private life.

Hmph.

“A talkative person like Auntie Wang should be made to lose some money; otherwise, nothing else will really affect her. Losing as much as she did today, she’ll definitely be fuming all night when she gets home, haha.”

“Changyang, you seem to be in a good mood,” Chen Huanzhi noticed Dong Changyang’s obvious joy.

“Ahem, I’m just happy that I don’t have school today,” Dong Changyang gave a flimsy excuse and quickly changed the subject, “Enough about me, let’s talk about you. Brother Chen, you seem to have something on your mind.”

“It’s nothing major, really. It’s just that the Crown Prince assigned me a task, and I’m a bit worried about it,” Chen Huanzhi didn’t want to say too much and make Dong Changyang worry, especially since it wasn’t something she could help with.

“W-What kind of task?” Dong Changyang was startled, and all sorts of dark plotlines flashed through her mind, with words like “Blood Dripper” and “Great Merit Threatens the Lord” constantly appearing.

“It’s just that the Crown Prince’s shop isn’t doing well, and I’m helping to take care of it,” Chen Huanzhi noticed Dong Changyang’s troubled expression and felt much better.

What on earth is Changyang thinking?

He probably found it interesting even though he didn’t fully understand it.

“Hey, hey, hey, even the Crown Prince needs to do business?” Dong Changyang was intrigued.“Isn’t the Emperor the most powerful and the Crown Prince the second most powerful in the entire country? Doesn’t all the money in the world belong to their family? Do they really need to do business?”

“Not at all,” Chen Huanzhi thought Dong Changyang’s words were quite blunt. “This world is not solely ruled by the Emperor’s family. Civil and military officials each have their duties, and the Prime Minister also has the power to veto. Even the Emperor can’t do as he pleases, let alone the Crown Prince. The palace stipend is limited, and money is needed everywhere. Even the Empress Dowager has her own private property. Naturally, no one thinks they have too much money.”

“Wow, I always thought it was like in the TV dramas where ‘if the ruler wants the minister to die, the minister has no choice but to die.’” Dong Changyang seemed to half-understand, realizing that even being an Emperor doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want.

Since it was about business, Dong Changyang couldn’t offer any advice. She could only do part-time work and tutoring; she had no good ideas for running a business.

The two chatted casually for a while. When the time was almost up, Chen Huanzhi suddenly seemed to remember something and asked nonchalantly, “At noon, I dined with the Crown Prince and accidentally lit the incense. I saw you seemed to be playing with someone and said ‘I won’. What does that mean?”

Hey, hey, hey!

Dong Changyang almost had a heart attack from Chen Huanzhi’s question.

Did Big Brother Chen actually see that???

What kind of Crown Prince is this, lighting incense for no reason? She thought she wouldn’t be discovered, which is why she went to play in the first place.

However, from Brother Chen’s words, it seems he doesn’t understand what ‘playing mahjong’ means.

Ahem.

Their dynasty should be fictional, so it’s normal that they don’t have mahjong.

Dong Changyang found a reason for herself.

“This… this is a way we use to bond with each other,” Dong Changyang said with a straight face, while silently apologizing to Chen Huanzhi in her heart.

Sorry, Big Brother Chen, but I have to maintain the image you have of me.

“Bonding?” Chen Huanzhi seemed somewhat skeptical.

“Yes, that’s right.” Dong Changyang rarely experienced the “awkwardness” her classmates mentioned when lying to the homeroom teacher. “Winning means being very happy, just like when you play chess. It’s a professional term.”

“I see,” Chen Huanzhi said, still somewhat puzzled.

“Brother Chen, are you going to see the Crown Prince again tomorrow?” Dong Changyang asked tentatively. She was pretty sure Wang Aunty would drag her to play mahjong again tomorrow, and she wondered if she could get away with it.

“Tomorrow I need to inspect the shop first, so I probably won’t have time.”

That’s great.

Dong Changyang breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing Dong Changyang’s guilty expression, Chen Huanzhi found it both amusing and exasperating.

Maybe women’s hearts are just harder to understand.

Early the next morning, Chen Huanzhi set out with an old shopkeeper, given to him by his mother, and a trusted confidant to inspect the shops that the Crown Prince had entrusted to him.

It had to be said that the Crown Prince’s shops were quite impressive.

The old shopkeeper couldn’t stop praising them.

“Young Master, these shops are excellent in both location and feng shui. They all have great potential. Especially the third tea house, which is close to the residences of court officials and near a well-known jewelry store. These kinds of shops are rare, even if you have the money to buy them.”

In the capital, business was naturally easier to conduct. From nobles to commoners, opportunities were everywhere, and it was convenient to gather information. However, doing business without the right connections often led to unfavorable outcomes.

“The location here is undoubtedly excellent, but there are other issues,” Chen Huanzhi noted, observing the surroundings of the shops.It seemed that these princes were indeed willing to invest heavily.The Crown Prince’s shop sells jewelry, so they also sell jewelry; the Crown Prince’s shop opens a teahouse, so they also open a teahouse nearby. they sell the same goods at lower prices and invest more in the décor, naturally driving the Crown Prince’s shops to poor business.

It seemed that these princes understood that their internal squabbles were less effective than uniting to bring down the Crown Prince. Given the Crown Princess’s poor health, if they didn’t act now, when would they?

Chen Huanzhi briefly explained the current situation.

The old shopkeeper’s expression turned serious.

“Manager Wang, if you have any thoughts, feel free to share them,” Chen Huanzhi said softly.

The shopkeeper was loyal to the Chen family, which was why Chen Huanzhi’s mother had specifically assigned him to assist.

“Young Master, typically in business, there’s an unwritten rule against maliciously lowering prices. Such behavior would usually result in expulsion from the merchant guild. However, this situation involves more than just business competition; the guild likely won’t dare to intervene,” Manager Wang speculated about the origins of these competing shops but didn’t dare to say more.

He was just a shopkeeper, after all.

“Before the merchant guild existed, how would one handle such situations?” Chen Huanzhi asked, admitting his lack of expertise in this area.

“Young Master, in such cases, there are generally two methods.”

“Oh?” Chen Huanzhi’s interest was piqued.

“One method is to wait,” Manager Wang said, sneaking a glance at Chen Huanzhi. Unsure of the young master’s intentions, he started with the most conventional suggestion. “The goods can’t be sold at a reduced price indefinitely. After a while, if the other party can’t sustain it, things will naturally improve.”

“Unacceptable,” Chen Huanzhi immediately rejected Manager Wang’s suggestion.

The political situation in the court was volatile. If the opposition decided to act, any delay in their response could lead to disaster. The princes’ joint effort to suppress the Crown Prince’s businesses was aimed at cutting off their information channels. Doing nothing would play right into their hands.

“Then the second method is to also lower prices for our goods,” Manager Wang said grimly. “However, this could lead to mutual destruction.”

Chen Huanzhi wasn’t satisfied with Manager Wang’s words. “Isn’t it possible to innovate and actively attract customers?”

“Young Master, the hardest part is the word ‘new,’” Manager Wang said honestly. “In business, stability is key. New things can attract many customers but can also quickly lose their value.”

Chen Huanzhi knew that Manager Wang’s words were reasonable.

“Very well, there’s no rush for now,” Chen Huanzhi responded, not pressing Manager Wang further, and continued to stroll around the streets with him.

Manager Wang knew that his young master hadn’t managed industries before, so he took extra care in explaining things to Chen Huanzhi.

“For restaurants selling food and drink, the key is in the secret recipes and the skill of the chef. This type of business is more stable. If you also focus on enhancing the environment, it can easily attract customers. During festivals, different restaurants often introduce new dishes to attract customers. It’s purely about enticing customers with taste. Even for dishes using the same ingredients, people are willing to pay more for better flavors.”

Chen Huanzhi listened thoughtfully as Manager Wang discussed the characteristics of several restaurants they passed by.

He had visited these restaurants before, but hadn’t thought deeply about them until now.

Chen Huanzhi used to focus almost exclusively on studying music, chess, calligraphy, painting, or practicing horseback riding and archery. He rarely delved into business matters. However, his role wasn’t just that of an advisor; if he wanted to contribute something to the country, he naturally needed to know a bit of everything.

Manager Wang then took Chen Huanzhi to some places selling jewelry, ornaments, and fabrics. These establishments were mostly longstanding businesses with substantial backgrounds, the better their business, the larger their support.

In the current Da Yan dynasty, it wasn’t just the Emperor who held sway. There were prime ministers, civil and military officials, and noble families, making for a complex web of power in the capital city.

“Big! Big! Big!”

“Small!”

“This time, it must be big!”

…

As they walked along, Chen Huanzhi’s ears caught the sounds of some people shouting excitedly.

A gambling den?

Chen Huanzhi halted in his steps and turned his head to look inside the gambling house.

“Master, among the several gambling houses in the capital, the largest one is likely owned by His Majesty personally, another is the Gu family’s property, and the third belongs to the Prince Huai,” Manager Wang explained dutifully, his eyelids twitching nervously.

Gambling naturally brought in the most money. Compared to jewelry and ornaments, the profits from gambling were truly immense. If they also managed to rake in interest on loans, that would mean daily profits reaching astronomical figures.

However, precisely because everyone knew gambling was so profitable, only formidable individuals could operate such establishments.

At least for now, neither the Crown Prince nor the other princes would venture into running gambling houses, especially not against the influential families and princes until their own power bases were secure.

“I see,” Chen Huanzhi nodded slightly, gesturing for Manager Wang to stop speaking, and took a few steps closer towards the gambling den.

Manager Wang broke out in a cold sweat.

“Master, please don’t even think about going in to gamble. Many talented young men have been ruined by just that one word, ‘gambling’!”

Chen Huanzhi observed the expressions of the people in the gambling house and felt a sense of déjà vu.

Ah, he remembered now.

Earlier, when he heard Changyang say “hu le,” the person opposite Changyang had a similar expression.

Was it just his imagination?

Or did Changyang deceive him?

Chen Huanzhi was unusually conflicted.

In fact, when Changyang was explaining, he already knew she was lying because her lying skills were not very sophisticated.

“Young… Master, perhaps we should leave now,” Wang, the shopkeeper, urged when he saw Chen Huanzhi standing at the entrance of the gambling house, attracting the attention of the people inside.

There was no way around it. Chen Huanzhi’s appearance and attire didn’t look like those of an ordinary person, let alone someone coming to gamble.

If he stayed at the entrance without entering to gamble, he might be mistaken for someone intending to cause trouble.

“Wang, if a young girl intentionally lies, what could be her reason?” Chen Huanzhi regretted saying this as soon as the words left his mouth.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have asked Wang.

Sure enough, upon being questioned by Chen Huanzhi, Wang instantly became more alert and spirited.

The Chen family, from top to bottom, everyone knows that the current main concern of the mistress is the marriage of her youngest son. The eldest young master and young miss are already beginning to study and read, but the youngest son just doesn’t show any interest, which is quite worrisome.

It was previously heard that the young master might have someone in his heart, but no one knows who it is. The mistress has said that as long as the other party comes from a respectable background, taking a concubine would be acceptable, but the young master remains tight-lipped. Now that he’s asking about women, it’s likely related to that person he holds in his heart.

“Allow this old man to say, young master, it’s common for women to lie,” Wang, the shopkeeper, said with a smile.

“Why do you say that?”

“Women tend to be more reserved than men. Sometimes, to maintain their image, telling a few lies is understandable,” Wang silently added some embellishments in his mind, feeling that his young master deserves any woman.

“Well then, Wang, do you think women gamble?”

“Huh?” Wang, the shopkeeper, almost pulled his own beard out.

Gamble… gambling?!

Oh my, could our young master have been deceived by some bad woman?

“Ah-choo!” Dong Changyang sneezed, looking at the person across from her with a smirk. “Aunt Wang, you’re not secretly cursing me in your heart, are you?”

“Why would I?” Wang Hongying pretended not to care, although she was inwardly upset. “Alright, agreed, after these two rounds, we’ll go back and eat.”

This is really bizarre. Could it be that she and Dong Changyang are truly incompatible? Why does she keep losing?

“Yeah, it’s getting late,” Dong Changyang patted the wad of bills in her pocket and decided it was time to call it quits.

Let’s win a couple more rounds and then leave!